Facilities

The centre has access to several commercial 3D printers for additive manufacturing of custom parts and components. In addition the centre has both commercial and custom printers for additive manufacturing using soft materials including hydrogels and polymers that are commonly used in the biomedical industry. Current equipment includes:

• Melt Electrwritting
• Allevi Bioprinters
• High temperature printing (PEEK, Nylon, thermoplastic composites)
• Multimaterial FDM 3D printing
• Sensor manufacturing
• SLA 3D printing
• Prusa MK3

Mechanical characterization of soft condensed matter forms one of the core research activities of BioSoft. This includes using systems to measure the rheological and structural properties of hydrogels, polymers, cells, and tissues, over a range of length scales, time scales, and loading modes. Current equipment includes:

• Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (TA 3200)
• Custom built Atomic Force Microscope
• CellScale Univert
• Access to MicroCT through partners
• Thermal Characterization through the MAE department (TGA, DSC)

In addition to characterizing the mechanical properties of soft condensed matter, the centre focusses on understanding the structure-function relationship of materials. Characterization the structural properties of materials is achieved using various forms of microscopy. Current equipment includes:

• Scanning Electron Microscopy through Carleton University
• Various small optical microscopes including a Nikon Ts2 optical microscope

The centre prepares and handles a range of different sample types from different types of polymers, to tissue explants, and live cells. To prepare samples effectively and safely, the centre has access to a number of environmental controls and sample preparation stations: Current equipment includes:

• Biosafety Cabinets
• Fume hoods
• Various small hand tools and benchtop equipment